Duque Says He’ll Resign From DOH If Conditions Are Met Before Vacating Post
DUQUE TO RESIGN – Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said he’d resign as chief of the Department of Health (DOH).
However, there are certain conditions that need to be met before his resignation. According to Duque, he’d first have to address all the findings of the Commission on Audit (COA).
It could be recalled that the COA flagged the DOH with “deficiencies” in their COVID-10 budget spending. As a response to this, Duque denied allegations of corruption and ranted on a video saying that the audit report destroyed their reputation.
Following this, Senator Bong Go, Duterte’s long-time aide, told him that he should make the “supreme sacrifice” when the time comes. However, Duque specified that he needs to clear the COA findings first.
During an interview with Dobol B, he said:
It’s a matter of time. ‘Yun naman talaga ang hiningi ko. I’m stepping down… pero bigyan lang ako ng kaunting panahon para maayos namin ng DOH ang lahat ng COA observations and findings
Furthermore, Duque emphasized that if he does resign, his stint as health chief during the pandemic would be part of his legacy. But, according to him, the public would just him based on the number of COVID-19 related deaths in the Philippines.
He boasted that the country had a lower death rate compared to other countries. As such, he said that the people should be the judge of his performance.
“Malaki ang papel na aking ginampanan diyan, lalong lalo na ang papel na ginampanan ng DOH“, he said. Meanwhile, criticism for Duque’s performance amid the pandemic still continues even after a year.
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